From rick Fri Feb 8 09:28:09 2002
Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2002 09:28:09 -0800
To: ilug@linux.ie
Subject: Re: [ILUG] Advice on setting up Linux please

Quoting John Flanagan (seagull@clubi.ie):

> My main use for the PC at the moment is dial-up internet access using
> ICQ, Internet Explorer, Outlook Express.

Remember what I said about Linux cultural assumptions and habits? Bear in mind that you'll be hearing mostly from technical users who are network-centric, who prefer lighter tools and shy from "integration", who will go to some lengths to have no-hassle hardware and open-source software instead of proprietary competitors, and who are not allergic to the command line and getting one's hands dirty.

Modems:

The following will tend to make your life difficult:

• PCI "winmodems": http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/faq/#winmodem
• USB in general, and USB winmodems in particular
• ISA internal modems whose serial ports are ISA Plug'n'Play devices
• (sometimes) ISA internal modems generally

The following is absolutely optimal:

• good-quality external modem connectable to an RS-232C serial port

Most of the above is equally true on any OS. You'll just find more people who acknowledge the truth of the matter, using Linux.

[snip rest]